Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 49537 on Mayors: Disqualification, whether a criminal conviction for an imprisonable offence would disqualify a person from being appointed as a metro mayor in (a) London, (b) outside London and (c) where the mayoralty will have the police and crime commissioner responsibilities included within it.

The answer given to the hon. Member in Question UIN 49537 on 30 April 2025 provides the current disqualifications for being convicted of an imprisonable offence for mayors - this applies to metro mayors in and outside of London.

What is the planned deadline for commencing the manufacturing phase of Challenger 3.

Challenger 3 is currently undergoing demonstration phase trials to prove the performance of the tanks. Manufacturing will begin once the tank's performance is proven, rather than being tied to a specific deadline. The project team will review the timeline regularly to ensure alignment with delivery milestones, operational needs, and emerging technical risks.

How many vehicles have been purchased under the Boxer programme by variant.

623 vehicles have been contracted under the Mechanised Infantry Boxer Programme. The table below shows the breakdown by variant: VariantQuantity PurchasedInfantry Carrier146Specialist Carrier200Command212Ambulance65

What discussions his Department has had with (a) General Dynamics, (b) the Senior Responsible Officer and (c) the British Army on the Ajax programme since 23 July 2025.

Since the incident during Exercise Titan Storm last month, I have been having regular discussions with key stakeholders from the Army and Ajax Programme team, and I met with General Dynamics on 9 December 2025. I have provided further details to the House via two Written Ministerial Statements and an Urgent Question reply in addition.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of procuring the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System.

The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), has been considered as part of a suite of systems available for the AH-64E weapons load, providing the platform flexibility to engage a range of targets with a measured effect.The procurement for UK AH-64E is ongoing with the capability due to be integrated and introduced on UK AH-64E by 2027. The potential for use on other platforms remains under review and no final procurement decisions have been made for these.

What the full scope is of Project Nightfall.

The scope of Project NIGHTFALL is to rapidly develop and produce, at scale, tactical ballistic missiles with a range of at least 500km, alongside associated mobile launchers.

What assessment has he made of the a) feasibility and b) potential merits of extending the out-of-service date of Warrior beyond 2027.

There are no plans to extend the out-of-service date for Warrior beyond 2027, and as such an extension is not under consideration. The focus remains on achieving the Strategic Defence Review's vision for a tenfold increase in British Army lethality over the next decade, with survivable and lethal platforms, such as armoured fighting vehicles, playing a central role alongside new layered systems of attritable and consumable platforms.

Which of the 43 police forces in England and Wales do not currently have specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams.

Rape and sexual offences are amongst the most harmful crimes in society and can have a devastating impact on victims, their loved ones and our communities. Therefore, it is essential that every police force has the right specialist capability to properly investigate these crimes and to deliver justice for victims.The Home Office’s assessment is that half of the forces in England and Wales do not have a specialist rape and sexual offence team. However, we are committed to ensuring that by the end of this parliament every police force has one.

What will the training capacity shortfall be, and for how long, between the closure of ATR Winchester and opening of new facilities at ATR Pirbright.

There will be no shortfall in the training capacity between the closure of ATR Winchester and the opening of new facilities at ATR Pirbright. The Army has arranged for additional accommodation and other facilities to be made available for recruits at ATR Pirbright.

What assessment has he made of the quality of the a) workmanship and b) quality control on the Ajax production line at General Dynamics Merthyr Tydfil facility.

The Ajax programme has a Joint Acceptance Group; a collaborative team of British Army and General Dynamics Land Systems-UK personnel who work together to test, evaluate, and formally accept the new Ajax vehicles into service.

What progress has he made in identifying a replacement for FV433.

The Army’s FV433 self-propelled howitzer was replaced in the mid-1990s, by the AS90.

How many Chinese BYD electric buses are in service across the UK by franchise operator.

My Department does not hold this information. For information on how many electric BYD buses have been licensed overall, please see the DVLA statistics – table VEH0133. (Vehicle licensing statistics data tables – GOV.UK)

How many soldiers were hospitalised or received hearing-related injuries in relation to the Ajax programme since 23 July 2025.

Since 23 July 2025, centrally held electronic systems show fewer than five personnel have had a hospital admission recorded since their first use of Ajax. None of these were related to Ajax, hearing or vibration. In the same period, 27 personnel have had a hearing loss related read code entered into their electronic medical record since their first use of Ajax. However, the presence of read code does not imply either a long-term problem or that it has been caused by their use of Ajax. For any Service person their use of Ajax will be mixed with other potential sources of exposure. It is also possible that symptoms are not occupationally related.

How many a) FV432 and b) FV433 vehicles are currently in service with the British Army, broken down by variant.

There are zero FV432 or FV433 vehicles in service with the British Army. None of the FV430 series of vehicles remain in service. These were modified under an Urgent Operational Requirement for operations in Iraq and subsequently re-designated as ‘BULLDOG’.

What the project stages and timeline are for the Challenger 3 programme.

Challenger 3 is currently undergoing demonstration phase trials to prove the performance of the tanks. Manufacturing will begin once the tank's performance is proven, rather than being tied to a specific deadline. The project team will review the timeline regularly to ensure alignment with delivery milestones, operational needs, and emerging technical risks.

What steps does she plan to take to amend the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to reflect the absorption of the Police and Crime Commissioner role into that of metro mayors.

The Government committed in the English Devolution White Paper to transfer Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) functions to mayors of strategic authorities by default, wherever possible.The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, currently before Parliament, contains provisions that amend relevant primary legislation, including the Police Reform and Social Responsibility 2011 Act, to achieve this aim. Subject to the Bill receiving Royal Assent, transfers of functions to mayors will take place in areas where the boundaries of the mayoral strategic authority and policing area align, at a date set by the Secretary of State by Order.

What Government funding had been allocated to the development of Godmanchester Secondary Academy prior to its cancellation.

Godmanchester Secondary Academy was approved into pre-opening in 2017 as part of Free Schools Wave 12. Delivery was provisionally anticipated for September 2022, but the project never achieved approval to move into the construction stage. The trust formally withdrew the project in April 2020 with the opening forecast not changing during the interim.Due to the early stage that it reached, only the following funding was allocated to this project:Capital costs for project manager fees and staff costs:£3,731.31Project development grant:£30,000.00TOTAL£33,731.31

In what year Godmanchester Secondary Academy was approved to be built.

Godmanchester Secondary Academy was approved into pre-opening in 2017 as part of Free Schools Wave 12. Delivery was provisionally anticipated for September 2022, but the project never achieved approval to move into the construction stage. The trust formally withdrew the project in April 2020 with the opening forecast not changing during the interim.Due to the early stage that it reached, only the following funding was allocated to this project:Capital costs for project manager fees and staff costs:£3,731.31Project development grant:£30,000.00TOTAL£33,731.31

What the delivery timeline was of Godmanchester Secondary Academy prior to its cancellation.

Godmanchester Secondary Academy was approved into pre-opening in 2017 as part of Free Schools Wave 12. Delivery was provisionally anticipated for September 2022, but the project never achieved approval to move into the construction stage. The trust formally withdrew the project in April 2020 with the opening forecast not changing during the interim.Due to the early stage that it reached, only the following funding was allocated to this project:Capital costs for project manager fees and staff costs:£3,731.31Project development grant:£30,000.00TOTAL£33,731.31

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of weight-loss injections upon the levels of grocery sales within the UK.

The Government Office for Science are currently exploring existing evidence and potential future implications of weight-loss drugs.